Wasteland
by Roucarnage
Summary: Born with an extinct bloodline, Zetsu was considered nothing more than a living weapon in times of war. When the Akatsuki acquired her, she expected a lifetime of servitude. Instead she discovered the organization doubled as a dysfunctional family with an overprotective father figure, sibling rivalry, puppy love, and tragedy. An uncanon story about Zetsu. Warnings inside/Genderbend
1. Prologue

**AN: **_Hello. This shall be my first story on this account and it's an oddity due to the fact it will be completely uncanon. It'll be centric around Zetsu from childhood to the 'current plot'. It's a personal project of mine to help with my practice of writing in the 3__rd__ person and just to keep me writing. So please, do not flame. It won't be the best of stories and I know that already. For those which are interested, please comment or alert this? It would truly encourage me. Read and enjoy. _

_Warning(s): GENDERBEND, OCs and OOC. If you do not like this, leave. Just leave._

_Wasteland_

_Act 1:_

_Prologue _

_13__th__, Month 5_

_Today, two more experiments resulted in failure, neither capable of containing the Mayfly. Both were children, K-MF-127, Satori, Aged 7, and K-MF-203, Natsuko, Aged 9. Their tiny bodies were shortly fed to K-MF-001, who consumed them both within the hour and violently. I vomited this morning's tea and biscuits. Our remaining experiment numbers have dwindled, excluding K-MF-001 and K-MF-084, and orphanage has refused to supply us with anymore samples or the hospital with their sickly, otherwise people will begin to question. If we are unable to conquer up more experiments, we will have to enlist outside help once more or the project will be brought to a dead halt or worse, switch hands. Such a result would be undesirable to the government, especially before K-MF-001's field test to warrant more funding from the council. Hopefully, with the recent success of K-MF-084, all we will need is the two experiments and testing will cease completely. _

The afternoon's dairy entry was concluded as Akiyama Kiyoshi tucked his pen into the broken spine of the tattered, old notebook before removing his glasses and burying his face into his hands.

For several years, he had studied adamantly to become a doctor. The first of a family of petty farmers. His life-long dream to care for the ill and the meek, but instead, he was enlisted under a corrupt government and instead of saving lives, he was taking them. Weeding through innocent lives like cattle. Worse, they were children. Young being which had never had a chance at life before they were stolen away to be poked and prodded. At the start of his days, he told himself he was much more than a cog in a machine, that this project was much more. But at the end of the day, he was still that one thing he loathed most about himself. He was a child killer.

His sour stomach twisted at those words and his throat burned with searing bile which he swallowed down thickly. Outside his office door, the hallways were alive with chatter, those others oblivious to his inner struggle as they conserved, about side-projects, home and love life and even their children. He dared not think of his own family, of his daughter whom he fed and clothed with his blood-soaked paychecks. Kiyoshi could even hear Ryouta boasting loudly to their coworkers about K-MF-001, whose project team he headed, in every minute, gruesome detail. His stomach lurched again as he listened and he decided to calm his riled insides with coffee.

He replaced his glasses upon his nose and stood stiffly from his chair, taking a step towards the closed door before spying the plush bear sitting on his desk. It was old, a relic of his daughter's baby years, and its soft purple fluff was dirt-stained and ruptured in spots where stuffing peeked through. He had stolen it from his daughter's room as she slept after she insisted she was too old for the toy and his wife demanded he dispose of it. He had decided on a better use for it.

Taking a moment, he took the toy and tucked it securely under his arm before he left the safe confides of his office into the brightly lit hallways of the underground laboratories. He received cheerful greetings from the fellow professors and doctors which roamed the halls to their various appointments and he returned them all with a half-smile and mumbled appreciation. He did not encounter Ryouta, whose laughter resounded around the laboratories, much to his relief. He did not think he was mentally or physically capable of hearing the man's bragging about superiority with K-MF-001 compared to K-MF-084 whom was still in the infancy of her development and Kiyoshi oversaw. If he did, Kiyoshi could not promise himself he wouldn't slug the man in the jaw.

Thankfully, his journey between his office and the breakroom was a quiet one and when he entered the room, he was delighted to see Ayano, a co-worker and close friend, pouring herself a cup of pure black coffee. Looking as ragged as he. She had been the one on clock when the two children perished. There had been many before them, yet she took every death as harsh as the first. As did he.

"Kiyoshi-kun," The nurse greeted once she noticed Kiyoshi, smiling softly. "You look horrible."

Kiyoshi laughed, his blonde curls bouncing. "Yes, as do you Ayano-chan." He plucked a styrofoam cup from its corral and grabbed the fresh coffee pot, pouring himself a completely black cup as well before taking a gulp of the piping beverage and heaving a sigh. "This morning was disastrous." _'At least it was only two of them this time.' _He thought the next moment.

"Yes," Ayana agreed quietly. "Last night, both of them were in good health and conscious, then this morning…cardiac arrest. The Mayday rejected them. Again." She trailed off, shaking her head whilst staring down mournfully at her coffee.

"The Mayday only accepts those which possess the bloodline." Kiyoshi sipped his coffee, the hot liquid soothing his rowdy stomach and tangled nerves. "That is why only 001 and 084 have been so successful. It's foolish for Tarou to expect us to take a thousand-year old bloodline and optimize it so it accepts anyone as its host without the need of a bloodline. If that was possible, people would be clamoring to possess the Sharingan or other powerful Kekkei genkai."

"Speaking of 001 and Tarou, have you heard his proposal of a field test to the council is today?"

Kiyoshi snorted, adjusting his glasses. "Of course, Atara is rather prideful of 001 and has been boasting to whomever will led him an ear. He's eager to test 001 on more lively targets, such as the Iwagakure squatter camp outside the village. Such a thing would be suicidal. It would rouse the Iwagakure government onto our affairs if 001 fails. The council would never approve of such a risky move."

"And what if the council approves and 001 does fail? What of the project?"

"Then the project will be cancelled. But, if the council forgives such a blunder, then I imagine 001 will have to be reevaluated and the project has the possibility of falling onto 084."

"But 084 was not designed for direct combat so how would that be possible?"

Kiyoshi clenched the cup in his hand, the fragile material groaning from the pressure and threatened to rupture hot coffee. "I fear she will have to be optimized with the more aggressive strain of Mayfly such as 001 was." The thought revolted him. 084 was so young and a good girl. She reminded him of his own daughter and the two were not too far apart in age. She was the only reason he remained on the Mayfly project. To become the inhuman likes of which 001 had, it made him shutter.

An uncomfortable silence settled over them both as they lamented about the current events and possible future, sipping their coffees quietly. After a solid minute of the muteness, Ayana spyed the plush bear and was eager to transition to a lighter subject. "That's a cute bear."

Kiyoshi remembered the toy which had tagged along with him and unwedged it from under his arm where he had been suffocating the poor thing. "Oh yes. It was an old bear of Miku's and she said she no longer wanted it so I brought it for 084. Hopefully she's not too old for it either." He smiled down at the bear which stared up at him with its purple, buttoned eyes.

Ayana smiled, brushing her ebony locks from her face. "I'm sure she'll love it. She loves everything you do for her, afterall."

"I hope so. Has her daily chemo session concluded? I would like to visit her as soon possible. If Tarou is speaking to the council today then a meeting is sure to be held directly after about what was said and everyone knows Tarou loves to hear himself speak."

"I would say so. Her sessions usually finish at noon. If not then soon I'm positive."

"Perfect." Kiyoshi downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp before tossing the cup in the trashcan nearby. "I will see you after the meeting, Ayana-chan. If not, then tomorrow."

"Same, Kiyoshi-kun."

The two bidded their farewells before Kiyoshi headed to the infirmary wing where K-MF-084 was currently being contained, cradling the ragged bear against his chest. He scanned his identification card at the entrance and the thick steel door which locked away the wing unbarred itself with a resounding thud before slowly opening inwards. The dimmed halls were deathly quiet as the only sound was of those of his footfalls against the metal walkway. The lack of notable life meant the nurses which were stationed within the wing had concluded their duties and left to their other shifts. Due to the diminishing numbers of patients, it was not uncommon for the few which reminded to be left alone and left untended unless in the case of emergency or their daily care.

Bypassing the door to the infirmary ward itself, Kiyoshi nudged open the door and peeked inside. The room was darkened and quiet except the blinking lights and beeping of the medical equipment and soft breathing of the handful sleeping children which remained. As he searched for 084's bed in the darkness, he navigated through the arrangement of beds, stepping softly so not to rouse any of the ill children and disturb their desperately needed rest. Finally towards the back of the ward, he spotted the girl's trademark moss green hair, illuminated by the glow of the towering medical machines installed besides her bed.

Setting the bear on the bed, he reached over and carefully roused her from her slumber. A few moments later, the girl's caramel eyes rolled out from beneath their lids, the glowing orbs staring into the doctor's opposing chocolate ones and immediately, her chapped lips parted into a grin, exposing her inhume canines. Kiyoshi returned the unsettling smile.

"Hey," He greeted, moving the bear so it sat within her vision. "I bought you a friend."

The young teenager groped the toy with her syringe-riddled hand and observed it, tracing the various tears and scruffs with her thin fingers before smiling again and proceeding to tuck the bear securely beneath her chin.

"Do you like it?" She nodded and Kiyoshi chuckled, petting his hand through her softened locks. "Are you feeling well?" There was a moment of hesitation, then she nodded. Despite her attempts to reinsure him, Kiyoshi knew it was a lie.

The chemo which she endured was an uncomfortable process filled with jabbed and poking of needles and torturous side effects such as vomiting and fever-induced shaking and exhaustion. He said nothing though, and just patted her head again. Such a courageous girl.

Suddenly, Kiyoshi's pager vibrated and he unhooked it from his belt, reading the message on the lit screen which simply read 'meeting'. He sighed and placed it away before returning his attention to the girl which was dozing off again, clenching the bear close.

"I have to leave now. I'll see you again soon, alright?" She nodded and he tucked the wool blanket around her petite form. "Sleep well, Zetsu." And with that, he got up and left as quietly as he had entered, leaving the girl to resume her rest.

Once he left the infirmary wing, he mingled into the moderate-sized group of scientists and doctors which were migrating towards the meeting room. Nurses were not involved in meetings so he did not see Ayana much to his familiar disappointment. He hated attending these meetings alone as he did not have a research team such as Ryouta and only Ayana to accompany him during the day. He liked the moral support they supplied each other especially when the news was a hard one to swallow and something told him this would one of those times.

That feeling was only reinforced when he entered the quarters which meetings were held and seated besides Tarou, he instantly spotted Ryouta, that familiar shit-eating grin of his plastered to his pale face. Kiyoshi's stomach began doing backflips again with anxiety and he concentrated on the sliver of hope that the meeting was completely unrelated to the Tarou's proposal to the council. Everyone took their respected seats along the elongated meeting table and Kiyoshi sat down opposite of Ryouta also besides Tarou. Ryouta smirked at Kiyoshi and the blonde dropped his sight to his lap, that urge of whacking the other man returning once again.

"Well then, it seems everyone is here so we can begin." Tarou spoke once everyone was seated and whispered conversations hushed. The obese man adjusted himself in his chair which groaned keenly, as to plead for mercy from the man's weight. "As you all know, today, I spoke with the council about several things. One of those things being the potential of K-MF-001's field test. Well…it was approved!"

Applause broke out amongst the attendance and everyone began congratulating each other on their contribution to the astounding news. Everyone except Kiyoshi as he struggled with his stomach once more and even retaining consciousness. The news had indeed been as he feared and debated about leaving to avoid the rest of it.

"Now, Hiruma Ryouta, project head of K-MF-001, shall speak." Ryouta stood and the applause increased in pitch, even with some people hooting and hollering. The man clearly relished in the praise. Kiyoshi's head began to subtly throb with a headache.

"Thank you, Tarou-sama, for speaking to the council. Without you we would have never reached this point." Ryouta remarked and a small round of applause was given to Tarou whom nodded in approval of the credit. Despite being seated right beside his boss, Kiyoshi's hands remained firmly on his quivering knees, his knuckles paling from the tension. "Now then, I'm sure some of you are questioning what 'field test' means exactly."

Ryouta gestured his assistant over and she bent beneath the table, producing a storage box stacked with thick, yellowed files within. She removed one at a time and handed them to the closest person who passed to the next then the next until everyone had a copy of the file in their hand, including Kiyoshi.

"Well if you open you packets and read page seven, you'll see…"

Kiyoshi flipped open the folder and upon the neatly arranged paperwork, he immediately noticed what was the transcript detailing the original Mayfly project. A flood of repressed memories washed over him and Ryouta's voice faded out as he read through the report which was written word for word in Kiyoshi's own handwriting.

**PROJECT MAYFLY**

**PROJECT HEAD: AKIYAMA KIYOSHI**

**SUBJECTS: [NAMES CLASSIFIED] **

**SUBJECT NO:** K-MF-001, K-MF-002

**DATE: [DATE CLASSIFIED]**

**DESCRIPTION:** _K-MF-001 and K-MF-002 are both carriers of the Mayfly and last known remaining of the bloodline. They were brought in willingly for testing. Testing shall be carried out monthly for a year period to conceive a cure for the violent mutations which have been observed with the Mayfly. _

**[DATE CLASSIFIED]:** _K-MF-001 and K-MF-002 undergo studying to extract samples of the Mayfly. Both have been confirmed to possess the __**SAFE**__ strain of Mayfly. Modification shall be performed to neuter the strain from the ability to mutate then be reintroduced to subjects. _

**[DATE CLASSIFIED]:** _The __**DISABLED**__ strain of Mayfly was introduced to K-MF-001 and K-MF-002. Testing reveals the __**SAFE**__ strain has rejected the __**DISABLED**__ strain. More examples have been extracted and farther testing to be carried out._

**[DATE CLASSIFIED]:** _Alternatives of the__** DISABLED**__ strain have failed. K-MF-001 has been displaying unsettling side effects. Excessive drooling, loss of appetite and memory loss. Testing reveals his __**SAFE**__ strain has begun to mutate. K-MF-002 displays no abnormities and her strain remains stable. The source of mutation is unknown but all future testing on both subjects will be ceased after only three months. K-MF-001 will be monitored and contained._

**[DATE CLASSIFIED]:** _K-MF-001's symptoms have remained stable for an entire month. He has been deemed safe enough for release from containment and reunited with his daughter. The project is too dangerous to proceed and both will be released but are required to return to the hospital for monthly check-ups to insure no farther mutations of the Mayfly. _

The transcript ended there. Shortly after, that had been when the Kusagakure government stepped in and Tarou was personally assigned over the dying project.

Kiyoshi remembered that day well and the thrill he experienced, assuming the government was assisting their failed attempts to domesticate the bloodline and resurrect it from extinction. However, those hopes had been quickly dashed when his team was released and K-MF-001 and K-MF-002 were brought back in for testing once again. But not for their benefit, but the benefit of Kusagakure and their current position in the rumoured approaching war.

Samples of the deemed 'unstable' strain were recovered from records and used on the two subjects in an attempt to agitate the bloodline into mutating then more subjects were brought in, in the shape of orphans and the sickly to test if they could be infected with the Mayfly. Tests to 'introduce' the bloodline to the subjects proved a failure with a one-hundred percent fatally rate. Attempts to mutate the bloodline were successful however, with both K-MF-001 and K-MF-002 propelled from wielding 'safe' strains to 'unstable' strains within a period of months.

'_That was when she killed herself.'_ Kiyoshi thought, skimming the underside of his thumb nail with his teeth. _'Complications with the Mayfly. Bisected herself.'_

It had been the most devastating day of Kiyoshi's life. He had cared for the girl throughout a period of years as her doctor. He would describe her as a daughter before his had been born. She had only been nine, a beautifully young life wasted.

'_Then you, 001, surcame to the Mayfly, you couldn't handle her death. Then you killed two doctors shortly after, tore them to shreds then ate them before anyone could safely contain you in your grief.'_ His chewing intensified as the nail splintered and blood oozed before his teeth focused their mindless chewing on another nail. _'But we didn't cancel the project, because then we discovered 084, and the project resumed, even after a decade. Now they're risking the livelihood of you both with this field test. I failed you, 001 and your daughter, but I won't fail 084. I won't, I won't…I.'_

"Kiyoshi."

Kiyoshi jumped in his seat and glanced around, realizing everyone was staring at him, especially Ryouta and Tarou who both had their eyebrows quirked at the fidgeting man. Kiyoshi felt his face drenched in warm sweat and his fingers ached after having chewed two of his nails to the quick during his frantic reflecting. Ryouta forced a laugh to break the awkwardness, making Kiyoshi flinch again and lick the sticky blood from his lips.

"Come on, Kiyoshi. Didn't think I was that boring." Everyone chuckled and the black-haired man cleared his throat. "Would you like to share on your plans with K-MF-084? Because obviously, K-MF-001 isn't interesting enough for you." A few more snickers sounded. Kiyoshi swallowed thickly and opened his mouth to speak in an attempt to defend himself when Tarou interrupted.

"No plans will be needed. K-MF-001's field test shall be a success and we will have no need for K-MF-084. No need to worry yourself, Kiyoshi." The reinsurance rung hollow and Kiyoshi caught the subtle threat smuggled among the words. _No need for K-MF-084._ Suddenly, his stomach lurched and bitter bile spilled into his mouth.

Without a word, Kiyoshi snatched up the file, scattering some of the paperwork to the floor, and fled from the conference room, hand slapped over his bulging mouth. Ayana had been waiting outside the room along with a few other nurses for news when Kiyoshi rushed through the doors, startling the women as they stumbled away.

"Kiyoshi-kun?" She gasped as the man ran past, making a b-line for the nearest restroom and she didn't waste a second to follow after him despite the fact he entered the men's bathroom.

Once inside, Kiyoshi collapsed into a stall and tossed the files aside before he vomited violently into the recently cleared toilet. Ayana entered a mere millisecond behind and dropped to her knees behind her friend, instinctively groping for the man's hair and yanking the blonde curls back from the backsplash. He retched for several minutes before his stomach was unable to produce anymore of its contents and he dry-heaved before finally stopped, trembling and gasping for breath.

Ayana tore some paper from its roller and used it to dab away the sweat that coursed down Kiyoshi's face and the vomit caked on his lips, sighing to herself. "I'm guessing the meeting did not go well?"

Kiyoshi shook his head, inhaling a shaky breath. "No…no it did not."

_AN: This is the prologue. Originally, it was meant to be longer but I divided it in half when I felt it was carrying on too much. There are going to be a few OCs in the beginning so if you do not like them then I apologize. Next chapter when the second half of this chapter and the introduction of the Akatsuki. Thank you for reading and please comment?_


	2. Act 1: Chapter 1

_Wasteland_

_Act 1:_

_Chapter 1_

"Would you like for me to walk you home?" Ayana asked quietly, watching as Kiyoshi packed his suitcase. They had returned to the doctor's cramped office after he had requested the rest of the day off due to his breakdown. Surprisingly, Tarou had been supportive, permitting it and even offered him to talk the next few days off. Kiyoshi considered it, as K-MF-001's field test was scheduled at the end of the week and he was unsure if he possessed the mental capability to attend the event.

"I'll be fine, Ayana-chan. I'm just going to go home and rest." Ayana nodded and Kiyoshi shoveled in whatever paperwork he suspected he might need during his downtime before heaving the leather suitcase to his side, feeling considerably heavier in his exhausted state. "If I take the next few days off, I can trust you to care for 084, yes?"

"Of course." The woman answered.

He nodded, tucking his hair behind his ear. "Good. She's not due for any testing so she should be left alone until I return. But, if anything comes up, please inform me. These days will be uncertain and I want nothing to happen to her while I'm gone."

"Absolutely, Kiyoshi-kun. She will be monitored closely."

"Thank you, Ayana-chan." He supplied a kiss on his forehead, a purely platonic gesture.

Ayana accompanied Kiyoshi as he departed the laboratories, loading onto the elevator in the west wing which was connected to the sizable hospital which had been built above ground to guise the affairs occurring below. Especially from Iwagakure eye. While they rode the several stories up to the hospital, Kiyoshi lost himself once more to his buzzing thoughts as he realized her would have to begin creating a back-up plan if everything were to go wrong. He had cared for 084 since she was arrived from the orphanage seven years prior and considered her a second daughter to him due to it. He did not want to see the same fate of 001 and 002 occur again and would protect her by any means. Even it meant risking his job or even his own welfare.

The elevator chugged to its destination and the bell rung as the doors parted, startling Kiyoshi from his thoughts and he silently followed Ayana as stepped off into the active employee only break room which reeked of freshly brewed coffee and smoke. A few of the nurses which worked the infirmary ward in the laborites were there, taking their breaks before they began their second shift at the hospital itself. They greeted the two as they passed by and Kiyoshi wondered how they could appear so calm, smoking their cigarettes and gossiping, despite the death of two innocent children mere hours before. He did not return their friendliness.

The hospital was quiet as they navigated the white halls to the front entrance, the only noises being the beeping of machinery and distant conversations. Hardly anyone were in the beds of the rooms which they passed. Due to the village's small population, there was not much use for the hospital which had been built as a ruse. Those which did come in, if they were rendered ill enough, would be relocated to the laboratories for fodder and their love ones told of their abrupt death. If questioned about the body, they were supplied an urn of ashes, ashes gathered from a fire pit, and told a fib their body had been cremated for them by the hospital. When they heard it had been free, they usually quieted down and left peacefully with the faked ashes of their family or friend. When in reality, their loved ones were either alive, though not for long, and being used as a host for the Mayfly or supper for 001. Kiyoshi felt his abused stomach clench at the thought, but he convinced himself it was the overpowering stench of bleach, knowing the acknowledgement of his role in everything would make him heave again.

Finally, they stepped into the main lobby of the hospital. Another nurse was lounged behind the front counter, her eyes glued to the fashion magazine and grunted a farewell as Kiyoshi and Ayana departed through the doors. It was hardly evening and the air was crisp with a hint of oncoming rain and the surrounding plant-life which engulfed the village. Barely anyone roamed the dusty streets and those which were still out at this hour were shopkeepers closing shop or people walking home such as they.

Despite being a hidden village, the Kusagakure was smaller than the rest and a fragment of the superpower is once. After the devastation of the Second Shinobi World War, the village was forced to repay a crippling debt by the Five Nations due to the damage they had caused in the war. Mainly the inhumane acts of those which possessed the Mayfly. It had bankrupted them and decades later, they had never recovered which explained the lack of military, the abandoned buildings, such as schools and hospitals, and humble population.

"It's cold tonight." Kiyoshi blinked and glanced over at Ayana, who had taken her red scarf from her bag and wrapped it around her neck. It complained her black hair so well and he debated about telling her but bit his tongue.

She noticed the man's steady gazing and smiled. "Smells like rain also. We should both get home before we're caught in it." Kiyoshi nodded lamely and they increased their pace towards his home.

Kiyoshi's house was located in the back of the village, amongst the towering foliage and within the shadow of a crumbling building which had once functioned as an Academy, once upon a time training Kusagakure's most talented. Now it was a shelter for the local vermin and distant memories.

As they circled the rotting structure, a modest cottage could be seen. The open windows were illuminated and even from their distance, a delicious scent was wafting throughout the air though Kiyoshi could not muster any hunger from the smell due to his unsettled stomach. He looked at Ayana who had her nose pointed towards the air, inhaling the aroma and Kiyoshi wondered if he should invite her in for dinner. It was just a thought though, when he remembered the woman was due for his shift at the hospital and also his wife, Sayuri, who was highly disapproving of Ayana's presence and would never allow the other woman within the house. He assumed it to be jealously as he spent more time with the nurse than his own wife due to his career. Or perhaps distain for the prettier and younger woman. Either or.

Suddenly, Kiyoshi swiveled on his heel towards Ayana who paused in her step. "I'm fine from here, Ayana-chan. You should be heading off to the hospital before you're clocked late." He told her gently.

"Alright, if you're sure, Kiyoshi-kun. I will see you whenever you feel well enough to return to work and I promise to watch over 084. She'll be safe, I swear it."

The blonde man nodded. "That's all I ask. Thank you."

They hugged before exchanging farewells and Kiyoshi watched Ayana's retreating back until it disappeared safely into the distance. He then turned away himself and walked the short distance to his house. The door was unlocked and he stepped inside, relishing the warmth which immediately embraced his shivering bones. As he disposed his bag on the coat rack, Sayuri rounded the kitchen corner.

"You're home early. Actually going to join us for dinner tonight?" The distain in her voice was painfully obvious and Kiyoshi sighed as he shrugged off his coat. Not this again.

"No, I will not. I became ill at the hospital, I'm going to lay down." He said as he hung his coat and made his way toward their bedroom when he heard Sayuri hot on his heels.

"Kiyoshi, do not bullshit me!" She seethed, venom spewing from her lips. "You never eat with us anymore, not morning or night. You spend all your time at the hospital and with her." Her, referencing Ayana. Kiyoshi turned towards wife. This argument had gotten old the first time she had brought it up. Now it was beginning to irk him.

"Sayuri, there is nothing between Ayana and I. She is merely a nurse I work closely with in the children's ward." He shot back, the lie feeling thick on his tongue. If she knew the truth, a possible affair would be the least of their problems. "I will not be having this discussion with you again, Sayuri-"

"I will not drop this, Kiyoshi! Not when you neglect your own daughter and wife! If you think-"

"Mom? Dad?"

Both parties ceased their arguing and looked over, seeing their daughter, Miku, standing in the mouth of the hallway. She glanced between her feuding parents nervously before walking to her father, cautiously wrapping her arms around his waist. "Welcome home, dad. You're home early."

"Hello, Miku, sweetheart." He cooed, ruffling the girl's matching blonde locks. "I had an incident at work, so I'm not feeling very well."

"Oh, are you going to eat with us?" She asked quietly, peeking around her father to her mother who retreated back into the kitchen and the sound of pots being clanged together emitted a moment later.

"No, sweetheart. I'm going to lay down. But I have the next few days off so you and I can have all the time in the world together." Immediately, his daughter's face lit up and she smiled widely. Kiyoshi ignored the guilt gnawing at the back of his subconscious. He hadn't spent that much time with his daughter for the last year.

"Dinner." Sayuri announced from the kitchen and carried out a pot to the dining table which had been neatly arranged. Only with two plates, Kiyoshi noticed. He patted his daughter's head before detaching her from his waist and shooing her off to dinner. The girl bounced off before pausing, looking at her father who shuffled off to his bedroom.

"Dad?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" Kiyoshi asked, stopping in the hallway.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too." He replied back before retiring to his room as the girl skipped off to the table to eat supper with her mother alone. Kiyoshi's heart ached at the three words which he could not recall the last instance which he spoke them to his own daughter.

As he entered his and wife's shared room, his worries came creeping once more as he undressed. He had the next few days off yet he wouldn't have a moment of rest. The field test, 084, Ayana, it was enough to make his head spin. Yet, despite the anxieties pledging him, he forced himself to concentrate on Miyu. He would finally have time with his daughter and he would be robbing himself and her if he couldn't enjoy the time. Everything could wait until he returned to the laboratories. Unless Ayana came to him, he should not worry or he would be spouting grey hair before his forties.

He yanked off his shirt and tossed it aside along with his shoes before he stood to close the open window so he could rest. The wind had begun to whip up with the approaching storm and the light from the cottage cast on the swaying trees outside, creating dances figures in the shadows that his exhausted mind actually mistook them for people for the briefest second. He scolded himself for his silliness, last thing he needed was paranoia too, and drew the blinds closed, blocking out the outside world before he switched off the light to sleep.

Outside the cottage, a figure stared into the closed window before striking a cigarette and walking away.

...

An extensive rainstorm engulfed the Land of Rivers, grasping the land with heavy downpours and whipping winds throughout the night. In a forest secluded from the wandering eye, a humble cabin in the woods was tossed about by the storm. The wooden structure groaned and the sleeping inhabitants buried their head underneath their pillows, desperate to mute the outside notices and sleep.

One of the minority awake descended the stairwell to the basement, the steps creaking and shifting from the person's weight and a history of wood rot and the resident termite population. The lantern clenched in their hand flickered with their movements. The company paused before the closed door of the lower room and knocked heavily, awaiting a reply from the other side.

"Enter." A voice answered the next moment.

The person grappled the brass knob but the door stuck fast, swollen with the water trickling throughout the structure and required a shove to unlatch it. Once inside, the visitor yanked the door closed behind them before lifting the lantern to brighten the basement and fellow man which was seated behind a thick, oak desk. The man's companion visibly missing from his side.

"Take a seat, Kakuzu." The ginger man remarked, gesturing to the flimsy chair which had been set out before the desk. Kakuzu obeyed silently, wedging his large frame into the sorry chair and seating his lantern to the floor, positioned so he could still see Sir Leader's face. "I have an interesting mission for you."

"Interesting?" Kakuzu repeated. Sir Leader nodded, folding his hands beneath his chin and closing his unnerving ringed orbs.

"The Tsuchikage has reached out to the Akatsuki with an unusual concern."

"Of?"

"Kusagakure." Sir Leader spoke without a moment of hesitation. It sounded more insane aloud.

Kakuzu narrowed his red eyes. "Kusagakure? For what reasons? They have occupied the village, and they have no military to combat them with. What possibly reason would Kusagakure frighten them so?"

"He refused to explain. Instead he merely said to meet an associate of his that is current stationed in Kusagakure and he would explain all of this madness. The only reason I agreed with such a ridiculous request to due to the sizable sum which we will be rewarded with. It would be enough to fund the Akatsuki for the foreseeable future. That is why I chose you for this job, being the only one which I trust with such an investment."

Kakuzu scowled behind his bandanna. It sounded like a waste of time to him, chasing another old man's paranoiac thoughts but if this payout was as large as Sir Leader implied it to be, then perhaps just this once he could chase a few fairytales.

"Very well. I'll do it."

...

_**AN:**__ This is the second half of the prologue. The main characters shall get more screen time in following chapters such as Kakuzu. Thank you for reading and please leave a review, would like to know if I've gotten people's interest. Also feel free to ask question in the review or in private message. I would love to answer them so long as they're reasonable._


	3. Act 1: Chapter 2

_**AN:**__ I just wanted to thank the people which have reviewed and alert this story. Makes me feel all nice inside and really encourages me to resume writing this story though don't worry, this story is my number one priority as of now. After this chapter, I have one pre-written chapter after this so once that one is posted, updates will take more time as I will have to write them out before I post them. With all that out of the way, enjoy and review please. _

Wasteland

Act 1:

Chapter 2

The Woodlands was experiencing its worse storm of the decade. Torrential rains drowned the earth and the vicious combination of wind and lightning desecrated the county's captivating forests, reducing the age-old trees to kindle. All and any wise living creature and person had seeked shelter from the sweeping floods and mudslides so not to be washed away. Obviously, it was a brilliant time to be crossing the country for a mission and potential, or unpotential, payday. Sometimes, it could honestly be said Kakuzu would do anything for money. And they would be right.

Money was the only reason he was currently trudging to Kusagakure, ankle deep in sloppy mud and soaked to the bone from the icy rain, heading throbbing from the deafening thunder quaking the ground. It was a wonder that he hadn't been stricken with pneumonia during the three day trek. Or struck by lightning, for that matter. But after this, he would happily spare the money to buy a bottle of warm sake. Perhaps even two. Hell, he might just get wasted.

Due to the thick fog, it was impossible to view into the distance and spy any evidence of the village approaching so for all he knew, it could be five or fifty miles anyway. The scroll he had been issued detailed his informant was stationed in one of the Iwagakure camps surrounding Kusagakure and would meet him a safe distance from the village to avoid any resident eavesdroppers or wondering eyes. With the storm, however, it would be foolish to await someone in the rain and wind and Kakuzu would likely have to divert course to seek out a hotel until the weather relented. Hopefully, his informant was a patient person and would not mind a day or two extra until their meeting. Though, now the struggle would be finding a hotel or motel to retreat to. Even a stable shack.

Lightning scattered throughout the black clouds, briefly highlighted the water-logged land with radiant light and for the split-second it existed, Kakuzu spied a figure huddled under a tree alongside the pathway before the concealing blackness returned. He questioned the sight. Only a fool would be outside in this weather, besides Kakuzu that was. It could be his contact, or anything/anyone else. It could just be a dead body propped against a tree. It was far too dangerous making assumptions and conclusions.

So, whilst shuffling through the slop, Kakuzu kept an eye and safe distance from the hidden subject, whether it be friend or foe, real or imaginary. As he rounded it, there was a small faint glow originating from the spot, concluded to be a lit cigarette, confirming it to be both real and a person. He paused briefly as he now observed the hidden figure, trying to determine any key features such as armor, appearance, or inflation but the darkness prevented that and he was left to assume it could be his contact or not. The person made no attempt at revealing themselves to help his cause either, clearly as cautious. Kakuzu recalled the scroll and among the information listed within for the precautions to pursue once he encountered his contact or his assumed contact. Safer than shouting names. He cleared his parched throat.

"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day. But I think that's a luxury, not a curse." Once he finished reciting the phrase from the scroll, he patiently awaited an answer.

His company did not immediately reply and he questioned if he had spoken correctly or loud enough so not to be muffled by the pounding rain. Worst case scenario, the person was not his informant and assumed him to be insane for spouting randomness at them. The silence persisted and Kakuzu concluded the mysterious figure was not his target and his travels should resume. Foolish to wait in the rain and wind for acknowledgment.

"Outnumbered. Out of our minds. On a suicide mission. But the sands and rocks here stained with thousands of years of warfare... they will remember us." Kakuzu stopped again, recognizing the second half of the secret phrase.

Finally, the unknown company stepped from the shadows and the tanned man recognized the Iwagakure J nin garb which the blonde and four-eyed individual boasted, confirming without a reasonable doubt it to be his contact. He kept his guard however.

The fellow man inhaled deeply from his cigarette before flicking the remaining butt into the mud and extending his glove-clad hand out to Kakuzu. "I take it you are my contact from the Akatsuki, yes?" He questioned, smoke leaking from his mouth and nose and oddly enough from beneath the Iwagakure headband tied around his neck as he spoke before it was swept away into the biting wind. "Katsu Domon, captain of the Explosives Corps and Fourth Iwagakure division. At your service."

Kakuzu did not extend his own hand. "I'm not one for introductions."

The Iwagakure informant, Domon, sniffed and dropped his hand, tucking it away in his pant pocket. "Understandable. Hard to trust anyone these days, yes?" Kakuzu did not reply and the blonde sniffed again. "Very well. We should probably move somewhere warmer and more private to speak, yes? My squadron's campsite is nearby." Kakuzu grunted and Domon sniffed once more before turning and trudging into the forest line with Kakuzu keeping his distance behind.

Thankfully, the man spoke the truth and after approximately twenty minutes of shuffling through mud and over tipped and charred trees, Kakuzu could view battered buildings on the outskirts of the woods and their shattered windows glowing and emitting smoke. He already felt warmer. They broke the tree line and stepped into a graveyard of abandoned buildings and collapsed structures. No one walked the streets but the buildings were alive with chatter and laughter that resounded over the whipping wind. Domon directed them farther into the desolate section of Kusagakure before he finally headed towards an elongated building which appeared to function as a guard tower at one point in the past. Domon knocked on the sealed door and a small window slid open the next moment as someone peeked through at the visitors. Upon seeing the man, the door was hastily yanked opened and the Chunin on the other side bowed respectively as Domon stepped inside.

"Captain Katsu." The young man greeted and Domon tossed in his hand in half-assed wave as he passed. Kakuzu stepped in shortly after and the Chunin sputtered a greeting to the imposing man also before locking the door behind him and scurrying off to rejoin his team. The old, stone tower echoed with the dripping of water entering through cracks of broken bricks and the floor boards reeked of wet dog. The walls flicked with the fading lights of oil lanterns and a single fire roaring in the middle of the floor which four teams of three were camped around, the members varying in ranks and occupation, including a few Genin. Kakuzu pitied their young, pathetic lives.

The Iwagakure shinobi greeted their captain as Domon passed and he scaled the stairs which swiveled to a second floor. Kakuzu followed behind and he stepped onto the next floor, Domon had already lit an oil lantern which hung from the rafters and was busy lighting an old, rusty furnace which sat along the back wall. The blonde stood and removed his gloves, shaking them free of the coal dust and moisture before pulling them back on and gesturing towards a single table with two chairs positioned on either side as he monitored the coals. "Take a seat."

Kakuzu mutely accepted the offer and shrugged off his trench coat, draping it on the back of the wobbly, wooden chair to dry before he sat down and proceeded to ring his brunette locks of excessive water. Once the coals began to glow red, Domon secured the small door on the heater and walked over to the table, only to pause in front of a chest squatting behind the opposite chair. "Care for a drink?"

"Please." Kakuzu replied instantly, swallowing back salvia to relief his dry throat in the meantime.

Domon unlocked the chest and heaved out a fancy bottle of sake and two shot glasses. He popped open the fresh bottle and poured Kakuzu a shot. The missing nin swallowed it down in one gulp, relishing the warmth of the alcohol at the bottom of his stomach. Domon refilled his glass twice before pouring himself a shot also and settling in his chair, leaning back into the flimsy wood.

"Now then we're settled in, I can finally share why it was we dragged you out here during the storm of the century, yes?"

"Please do." Kakuzu replied gruffly.

Domon chuckled and lifted his glass to his lips. Suddenly, in an unusual display, he grasped his throat, in a gesture of self-strangulation which made Kakuzu pause and raise an eyebrow as he watched the man throw his head back as he sipped from his drink. Once the hot liquid had traveled his throat, he relented his hand and audibly cleared his throat, cracking his neck for extra measure. Kakuzu snorted at the odd ball behavior. Like him to be blessed with the whack jobs.

"Well then, I suppose I should start from the beginning. From the very beginning, yes?" Domon remarked, clearing his throat again. Kakuzu grunted and shifted his bandanna aside as he took a swig from his glass. "Well then, my squadron and I have been assigned here for the past year and half now and been observing odd occurrences concerning our new neighbours, Kusagakure."

Kakuzu finished off his third drink before reaching over to the dwindling bottle to pour himself another. "Odd how?"

"Hmm…how does a mysterious hospital, shady doctors and missing children sound?"

Kakuzu finished pouring his drink and passed the bottle on to Domon. "Sounds like a horrible novel."

Domon barked with laugher before he clamped his throat again and finished off his drink, clearing his throat afterwards. "Yes, yes, a bad novel, but true. Alright, from the beginning. It began with the hospital," Kakuzu grumbled in his throat. This man really intended to tell him as though it was a really was a bad novel. "We were ambushed by Konohagakure shinobi and one of my men had to be sent to the Kusagakure hospital to be treated. Whilst inside, he reported odd circumstances."

"Again, odd how?" Kakuzu grumbled.

Domon poured himself another glass of sake and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Kusagakure is a village of small population, yes? Not many people compared to other villages such as Konohagakure or Iwagakure but enough to still retain rank of Hidden Village, regardless of the Second World War. Anyway, whilst inside, he reported besides himself, there were no other patients bed ridden despite the hospital being the only in the village."

"So? Perhaps the villagers are healthy and have no need for a hospital."

"Perhaps, but if that was the case, then what need for a hospital? Given Kusagakure's financial situation as of the past half century, the fact they chose to build an elaborate hospital rather than feed its starving population or reinstate its military is suspicious in itself, but I digress."

"Please do."

"Very well. Besides the lack of patients, apparently the hospital had a vast amount of doctors and nurses. Far too many to be working, even if every bed was occupied. And they would all clock in within the same time together, but he hardly saw a third of those which would walk in, yet most clocked out together. So, what are these doctors and nurses doing if they are not working the hospital?"

"I don't know, playing solitaire in the staff room?" Kakuzu answered shortly. "Care to explain if this is leading somewhere? Because at this point, this seems all like overblown coincidence."

"Yes, yes, it is. Just trying for suspense." Domon insisted, sniffling. "Alright, covered the hospital and doctors, now for the children, yes? Well then, the village has an orphanage, quite a large one, sadly. One day, we observed some of the resident quacks escorting a group of children from the orphanage to the hospital. Perhaps they were sick, yes? We paid no mind, except the following month, the same quacks took more children, then the next month and the next. Between three and five children each month, but we never saw any of them returned."

"Maybe they died in the hospital." Kakuzu dismissed as he sipped his glass.

Domon stroked the facial hair nestled under his nose. "Perhaps, except some of men were bed-ridden at the time and they claimed the children appeared as were perfectly healthy and were taken to an unknown section of the hospital and never reemerged."

"So? You've hired me to find some damned brats?" Kakuzu seethed, his short fuse beginning to burn bright from being roped along with the man's dull storytelling. He was not a man of patience or tolerance.

"No need, already did myself. And from I can deduce, those poor children are likely dead. Now I ask you listen for just a bit more. I promise this shall all tie together nicely and you will understand why it was this mission was of the highest priority." After a moment, Kakuzu relented his murderous impulse, giving the man only a few more minutes to conclude his story before he strangled him himself and upturned the place for his payment. Instead, he concentrated on his alcohol, the only reason his sanity remained intact.

Sensing the thick cloud of tension infesting the air, Domon reached into his vest pocket and withdraw a crumpled package of cigarettes. He tapped the box on the table until a single stick slithered out and tucked the cancer stick between his lips.

"I got curious from all these happenings and decided to investigate myself. I trailed the quacks from the hospital and listened in, tried to see if they would allow anything to slip about any goings within that hospital. Several weeks got almost nothing, a few names thrown about and code, nothing that could be used. Then, finally, one of them dropped a bombshell and it all made sense." Kakuzu quietly awaited the 'bombshell' as Domon lit his cigarette and inhaled before releasing the smoke slowly. "The Mayfly." Thunder boomed overhead as the word was spoken, adding to the ominous vide it emitted.

Kakuzu hadn't heard that bloodline since his imprisonment during the Second World War. Now the kekkei genkai was only heard of in history books and told to misbehaving children to frighten them straight. No one dared speak of it, not even in hushed whispers. Its once worshipped existence had become a taboo in itself.

"The Mayfly?" He questioned quietly, the phrase feeling foreign on his tongue. Domon nodded, taking another drag. "How is that possible? The Mayfly was eradicated after the Second World War."

"That is what we would like to know also. You see why it was we enlisted you and the promised payout was so impressive now, yes?" Yes, yes he did. Implying the Mayfly existed was certainly interesting indeed. He was curious himself now. "Now, care to hear the conspiracy theory we have constructed?"

Kakuzu sighed, adjusting him in his seat. "If I must."

Domon tucked his fingers underneath the fabric of his headband and tugged it, a cloud of smoke of billowing from the neckline before he resecured the forehead protector. "Now then, we believe that hospital is just a front, a cover up, and there must be some secret corridor or level. It explains the copious amounts of quacks roaming about and the missing children, yes? They must be using the kids as experiments, or worse, food. If the Mayfly is indeed involved, it would be no surprise. Might also explain the lack of patients, yes? Perhaps those which were ill or crippled were hoarded away for extra fodder." He stamped out his cigarette on the wooden table. "Also, we suspect Kusagakure is being funded from the outside. No possible way they could afford everything themselves, especially since they're still in debt to the Five Nations for their sins during the Second World War. Our theory? Konohagakure. Not only would they have experience with reviving a dead bloodline, the Senju bloodline yet with limited results, they also have motive. A small army of Mayfly wielders could easily cause opposing forces, such as us, to withdraw and it would cement their position of superpower as they would then successfully possess the strongest kekkei genkais to ever exist. Yes?"

"I can see why this would be a conspiracy theory." Kakuzu mumbled after a few moments of proceeding everything the captain had rattled out. He swallowed down his sake to assist with befuddled brain cells but the lingering buzz only scattered them more. "So then, not only do you suspect that Kusagakure is drabbling in the revival of the Mayfly, but also Konohagakure is involved?" It sounded dumber spoken aloud than in his head.

"Yes."

"Well then, if you're so sure on all of this. Why don't you just investigate it yourself? Seems you have evidence on the matter." He must've have been getting drunk because he had just possibly made his entire presence void with that single question. Thankfully, that was not the case.

"Well, primarily for one reason. First being, my men and I are under constant threat from Konohagakure who are just camped across the river. And with Kumogakure now breathing down our necks, I need all my men on hand for the real possibly of farther ambush. Also, a have a week left until I can return to Iwagakure and I plan to survive that week so I can see my wife and the birth of my firstborn. Would you like to see pictures of my wife, Kira?"

"No."

Domon whined at the rejection and removed his hand from his pant pocket where he had already made a grab for his wallet to display pictures of his beautiful wife. "Anyway, safest to include an outside party. On the off chance you are caught or your act is witnessed, it'll be assumed a mercenary group became a bit too greedy for their own good and if we are at all suspected to be connected, then we can just throw you out to the wolves to protect ourselves, yes?"

Kakuzu stared at the blonde flatly. "I better get payment for the bullshit I've been placed through before I leave to chase fairytales."

Domon sniffed. "I suppose I could spot you some of the money under the table, yes? Only if it ensures your devotion to this situation."

"I promise nothing."

"You will have to if you desire the rest of your payment." Domon stood up from the table and returned to the heavy chest behind his chair. He inputted the code for the lock and yanked the chest open again before groping around for its hidden contents. After a moment, he withdrew a thick file of paperwork in one hand and the other clenched three neat stacks of paper money. Immediately, Kakuzu's interest was rekindled. Domon took his seat again and tossed the folder onto the table before dumping the wads of cash on top of it. Kakuzu made a grab for the money first as he weighed each stack in his hand before fingering through the bills, making a quick estimate of the amount.

"This should suffice." He said and shoved the stacks into the pocket of his coat before he picked up the file and opened it. Domon emitted a sigh of relief.

"The file contains copies of everything gathered at this point. Maps, interviews, and my personal notes." He supplied as Kakuzu flipped through the various papers which had been stuffed inside. "It should be enough information for you to conceive a plan on how to get into the hospital."

"And once I am inside, what exactly am I looking for?"

"Any evidence of the existence of Mayfly and any connection to Konohagakure or whichever village is funding them. Files, samples, hell, if you bring an entire person with the bloodline out, that would be perfect." Kakuzu snorted at the last option. He had fought those with the bloodline during the First World War and knew from personal experience it was not that easy. No doubt worse now due to those mutations. "If you are unable to find anything or prove this entire thing was a simple misunderstanding, you will still be paid for your troubles, but only a quarter the amount. Yet, still a pretty penny, yes?" Not particularly, but money was money, so Kakuzu chose not to complain.

"Very well."

"After you get out with any information you acquired, you will return here and shall be given your payment then can go on your way, yes?"

"Preferably." Kakuzu downed his last warm drink and stood, shrugging on his damp coat and tucking the file under his arm, more than prepared to give his farewells and leave. He had about enough of the man with the speech impediment and smoker's rattle as he could stomach for a lifetime.

Noticing this, Domon stood as well, extending his hand in another attempt for a shake with the hired man. "Thank you for accepting this offer despite the trouble that had been caused and the general unbelievableness of the situation." Kakuzu eyed the captain's hovering hand for a solid minute before submitting and grasping it with his own gloved hand, giving it a firm shake only to release it the next second but Domon was satisfied.

"There's an empty building across the way. Used to be a restaurant of some sort but we cleared it out to use as extra shelter in case of an ambush. You can use it for the night. Cheaper than renting a hotel, yes? I'll have my men carry over a cot for you."

"No need." Kakuzu dismissed. "I'll take it as is."

Domon sniffed. "Well alright, if you're sure, yes? Have a comfortable night then and good luck."

Kakuzu did not return the man's blessing as he made haste from the tower with the proper filing in hand. The rain had not let up the slightest during his meeting and he was politely escorted from the building by the same nervous chunin before the door was promptly slammed and locked behind him, leaving him in the pouring rain. Thankfully, if there was one credit he was capable of giving the captain, it was his accuracy with directions as after a few minutes of walking directly forward through the fog, and Kakuzu stumbled upon the hallowed restaurant.

The wrecked structure had no door so he ducked inside to escape the rain but discovered the inside was no better. Holes were punched in the ceiling, permitting water to leak inside in rivers and drench the floorboards which emitted a detestable reek and without a door, it was as cold as the outside. It was free however, far cheaper than a hotel, so again, Kakuzu did not complain as he sought out a dry spot to sit.

During his search, his foot collided with a lantern which had been carelessly left behind and when he picked it up and dusted it off, leftover oil splashed within much to his relief. With the lantern in hand, he managed to discover a dry area in the very corner of the café and removed his trench coat and muddy boots, setting them aside to dry before he sat down. He regretted rejecting the offer of a bed but he would be damned if he went crawling back for one. Though, he should have least stolen the rest of that sake.

After some fiddling, he lit the lamp and positioned it so enough light was illuminated and bounced off the walls for him as he dumped off the contents of the folder. The file hadn't been too particularly thick and shifting through the paperwork proved how hearsay the whole situation was. Only Domon's notes recounted the mention of Mayfly but then it had only been one occasion with no other evidence listed to verify it yet been enough to spook that old croak Tsuchikage enough to scramble up assistance from a known mercenary group of S-class shinobi to investigate. If the Mayfly did exist, it proved how fearful Iwagakure was of it and the distinct advantage Konohagakure or any village would have over them and possibly others. This could shift the war in ways never seen before.

Now the only question remained of its existence, and if the Akatsuki could use it to its advantage.

…

_**AN:**__ The Woodlands are just the region Kusagakure is located in since an official name was never given. Also the phrase Domon and Kakuzu speak to each other are fragments from Captain Price's speech. Next chapter, the Mayfly will be demonstrated. Thank you for reading. _


	4. Act 1: Chapter 3

**AN:**_ Thank you again for reading and liking this story. It's a bit slow now, but it'll speed up soon. I promise. Anyway, read and enjoy. _

…

Wasteland

Act 1:

Chapter 3

_Attention: Please evacuate the area for the loading and unloading of [K-MF-001]. Only authorized staff is permitted in the area. All other staff is advised to leave the floor or retreat to a protected zone to avoid major injury or death. This is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill. _

Read feminine recording monotonously, the voice echoing throughout every floor and corridor of the laboratories for every person present to hear and heed to. Those unassigned to the unloading but were working the bottom floor quickly retreated to the higher floor for safety. Those on the top floor resumed their duties, disregarding the warning.

"Alpha, are we clear for unloading? Over." Ryouta spoke into the two-way radio in his hand as he paced the observation chamber, watching the small, boxy monitor which displayed the black-and-white view of the cameras installed in the lower floor which harboured K-MF-001.

The radio crackled for several seconds before a voice responded from the other side. "Yes sir. Alpha is prepping the chamber for unloading. Over." The monitored flickered and a team of five animal masked men clad in black cloaks were seen marching through the chamber towards the vault which 001 was contained within, one of them wheeling a dolly which was laced with steel chaining.

"Roger. Do not do any unnecessary harm to K-MF-001 during unloading or loading. We need him in perfect condition for the field test tomorrow. Over."

"Roger that." Ryouta secured the walky-talky in his white coat and sat down at the table alongside Tarou who was also present to observe the testing as he always did, though not remotely as flustered as his companion as he sat perfectly relaxed with his legs propped on the table.

"You need to relax, Ryouta. It is just another routine test. 001 has done a dozen of these without incident." The obese man reassured the twitchy scientist as he watched the monitor, following the team as they navigated the long, steel hallway. "The worse which might happen to 001 becomes peckish and decides to make a snack out of one of those fellows handling him. If that happens, the council will just supply us another poor bastard to replace him."

"It's not 001 I am concerned about. He's worth more than any living person on this green earth and I don't want one of those bastards breaking him." Ryouta replied, gnawing on his thumb nail as the team finally made it to the vault door and took their positions with weapons prepared as the humorous locks on the vault door were slowly undone.

"Relax, Ryouta. Oh, I know exactly what you need," Tarou heaved himself from his chair and waddled over to a cabinet that the monitor sat upon monitor. He yanked it open, revealing it to be empty of files as he withdrew instead a bottle of expensive liquor instead. He plucked two cups from the water cooler before returning to the table and laying out a cup for each of them. "I was saving this for tomorrow as celebration but I feel you could use it now." He poured them both a cup of the rich liquid, handing Ryouta his own cup and the man sipped at it, the hard alcohol strickening his mouth and throat with a refreshing burn but failing to calm him as kept an eye on the monitor.

The vault door was finally unlocked and automatically sluggishly swung outward. Once there was a considerable amount of space, the cloaked figures tossed in grenades and the screen went white for seconds straight as the flash bangs mutely exploded. When the picture returned, only two of the men remained, arms cocked to toss in more flash bangs as the rest were inside the vault, securing K-MF-001 for transportation. After a few minutes, the rest of the group finally emerged, unscathed and wheeling out the unstable experiment which had been restrained to the dolly with the unpenetrateable metal chaining and blinded with a leather mask which doubled as a muzzle. The sight of the bound man struggling made Ryouta release the breath he had been holding in and he downed his drink before requesting a refill.

K-MF-001 was transported to the testing chamber, a brightly lit and large, reinforced steel rink which the observation chamber oversaw safely from several feet off the ground. Blood stained the metal flooring and walls from past testing and a few wooden dummies had been laid out at random points around the chamber. Normally, live targets were used in testing but due to being unable to capture Iwagakure hostages for bait, the dummies had been fitted with stolen Iwagakure headbands and vests instead for illusion.

Alpha team wheeled the thrashing experiment into the stadium and once inside, proceeded with the precarious task of unraveling the man without incident. They hadn't had an incident in the last five sessions and intended of keeping that streak going. One member was positioned in the loading hallway, at the ready with the door, whilst two others loosened the chains around K-MF-001 and the remaining two were posed to retain the subject if he broke from his restraints prematurely or made a grab for one of the men.

Ryouta stood at the control panel which regulated several functions of the testing rink with his finger posed above the speaker button, ready to yell at the lot if they did anything he deemed too rough or unnecessary during his prized experiment's release. Thankfully, no excessive harm was done to the subject and once the chains were sufficiently loosened and freed of the dolly, the supplied shinobi removed the muzzle and made haste back into the safety of the hallway, the door was sealed tight behind as K-MF-001 tossed off the chains with an enraged roar. He kicked the steel bindings across the gym, they striking the metal walling with a cringing, resounding crash. He glanced around the rink, snarling at the dummies before his attention was diverted by the sound of the megaphone being switched on with a whine.

"001," Ryouta spoke into the microphone, K-MF-001 briefly acknowledging his creator at the mention of his subject number. "This is your last test before your field test tomorrow. Mind giving us a show?" His only reply was the excessive drooling seeping from the experiment's snarling jowls.

Ryouta observed from behind the safety glass of the chamber whilst Tarou watched the monitor, both sipping their drinks. K-MF-001 paced about liked a caged tiger for several seconds, circling the wooden dummies and instantly Ryouta became uneasy again. Normally, the man did not hesitate upon attacking the bait, tearing it to unidentifiably shreds within a span of seconds. Instead, the ebony-haired male resumed his leisurely stalk of the targets, almost disregarding them as he emitted a bored yawn and scratched the lettering inked into his face. His Mayfly hadn't even been activated yet.

Ryouta looked back at Tarou nervously, grasping his foam cup tightly. "This is not being recorded for the council's viewing, is it?"

"Of course not." Tarou dismissed, itching his second chin. "We have already been approved to proceed with the field test. The council requires no more evidence. Maybe 001 isn't interested because this is the first test without live targets?" Perhaps.

Ryouta returned his viewing to his experiment which had no longer taken interest in the dummies and was fiddling with the stained white jumpsuit he was dressed in. The scientist activated the microphone again. "001 were you not clear on your instructions?" He shouted though this time he was not spared a reaction as K-MF-001 seemed more interested in the devouring of his clothing as he chewed on the zipper. "001!"

"No need to yell at the dumb animal, Ryouta. Here, allow me to try something." Ryouta freely allowed his boss to take over as Tarou strolled to the control panel, distracting himself with his generous drink.

"Alpha," Tarou spoke into his own two-way. "K-MF-001 seems to refuse to cooperate. Would mind escorting him back to his chambers? Over."

"Roger."

"Tarou-sama," Ryouta gasped, leaping to Tarou's side. "This is 001's last test. I would recommend that we-" But his pleas were hushed as Tarou held up a thick hand, interrupting him as the door to the testing chamber was reopened. K-MF-001's attention was immediately stolen from his plastic snack as he turned towards the soldiers, snarling lowly and naked flesh between his shoulder blades began to bulge and swell at the approaching threat as the full fleet marched in, prepared to restrain him once more. Suddenly, a heavy hammering echoed throughout the chamber. The five men froze in their tracks and ever so slowly, turned their sights around. Their only exit had been locked shut behind them.

Ryouta's startled gaze settled on Tarou, the man's fat finger pressed down on the button which controlled the main unloading door and that could only be opened from the other side. He had locked them in with K-MF-001 without a second's hesitation.

"Tarou-sama…" The scientist whispered, realizing what his employer had just done. He had just potentially abolished a decade's worth of work and broken the council's trust in a single swoop.

An inhumane screech caused him to return his attention back to the testing chamber and he saw K-MF-001, fists clenched and crooked canines bared, his Mayfly having finally been activated and a grand Rafflesia flower bloomed from the flesh his back, its thick petals uncurling like velvety tendrils. Ryouta was unsure whom he was more concerned about at the moment.

As K-MF-001 took a step towards the trapped shinobi, the hardened assassins steeled themselves for the fight of their lives. After another imposing step, one of the men threw a flash bang to distort him as the others charged in and the rink filled with blinding light an instant later which made Ryouta wince and shield his watering green orbs. His ears rung from trauma but through it, he could hear the muffled shrieking of K-MF-001 as well as crashing and the popping of more flash bangs. K-MF-001's death seemed sealed, until a human scream rang out, followed shortly by another, and another, and it was obvious the abomination had garnered the upper hand on his opponents. Ryouta rubbed his eyes and blinked them rapidly, attempting to regain his sight and witness the chaos which was ensuing below when something smashed into the safety glass before them, making him flinch and gag. It was a severed arm. The limb glided down the glass, smearing it with thick, dark blood before it tumbled to the floor.

Finally having restored a portion of sight, Ryouta turned to peer past the blood stained glass but it proved fruitless as the chamber was fogged with a pink mist, a byproduct of K-MF-001's Mayfly. The screaming died down, dissolving into wet gurgling as the airborne poison took its effect and after several tense seconds, the mist thinned. The chamber was in shambles. Blood and organic substance painted the walls and enough force had been driven into them to actually dent the foot-thick steel. Bodies littered the floor, only one being considered in a single piece as the other's had had limbs torn off and one even decapitated.

K-MF-001 stood in the midst of the carnage, unharmed except for bleeding lacerations where kunai and senbon had been embedded in various spots on his body and bruises, his jumpsuit a deep red from the blood soaked into the fabric. The Rafflesia sprouted from his back twitched, the red and purple speckled flower emptying the last of its potent essence before it crumpled and wilted away, melting away back into the experiment's pale skin. He proceeded to carelessly pluck out the weapons embedded in his body, unflinching as some of the wounds were torn open farther and split more blood, when something caught his eye.

One of the serviceman had survived the carnage, though hardly, and was weakly dragging himself away from the berserk man, leaving a wet trail of blood from the stump where his leg had once been. K-MF-001 ignored the remainder of the blades jutting from his skin stalked the owl-masked man like a cat playing with its prey, following him about the chamber. Cornered, the dying man halted against a wall and in one last feeble attempt, tossed a handful of senbon at the monster. The experiment made no attempt to dodge the needles as they lodged themselves into his scarred face, one narrowly missing one of his red orbs and he screeched, more so in vocalized anger rather than pain. He thrashed his head about, freeing a few of the sharp needles before screaming again and lunging onto the shinobi. The injured solider echoed the scream with his own of a higher pitch as the subject's wide jowls clamped onto his skull, crushing the bone like glass. The man kicked and screamed as his neck proceeded to be angled at an impossible shape and shattered with a dull series of popping to which he became deathly limp, his yelling silenced forever. K-MF-001 jerked the dead victim's head about until the tender flesh of the neck ruptured and he yanked the entire head free from the corpse, a good portion of the spine slithering out along with. He tossed the unwanted skull aside before hungrily devouring the freshly warm carcass. The head bounced a few feet before rolling to a stop and the bird-like mask falling off, revealing the man's face, frozen eternally with a pure petrification.

"Well then, I would say that was without a doubt K-MF-001's most successful test. The Mayfly is a fearful thing, isn't it? Imagine the field test when he'll have the ability to phase about." Tarou chirped, unbothered by the massacre as he walked back to the table, refilling his cup with more alcohol as celebration. Ryouta swallowed thickly, averting his eyes from his experiment happily enjoying his meal below and sighed. He felt a slight guilt for the poor men which had just been fed to the abomination, but his pride as a scientist and of K-MF-001 brought an unspoken was relief it was them which lay dead and not his years of hard work. Yet, he felt the slightest bit sick, the first time in several tests and the deaths of many human targets, including children. He dismissed it as anxiety and not his long dead conscious creeping back.

"I'll write a letter to council apologizing for the misfortune which those fellows met." Tarou explained simply as Ryouta rejoined him, pouring himself another drink also to soothe his queasy stomach. "After tomorrow, I'm sure they will forgive a few deaths. K-MF-001 is worth an army of them. What were they again? Stem? Branch? Something silly as that."

"How are we going to escort K-MF-001 back to his vault though, Tarou-sama?" Ryouta asked quietly after a moment of silence, eyeing the monitor as K-MF-001 grew bored of his current meal and lumbered over to another body to chew upon. In the background, Ryouta could hear the wet ripping of flesh as the experiment ate. He poured himself another shot.

"Oh pity, did not think of that." Tarou said, though his tone did not betray any of his apparent 'pity'. "Hmm…well, I'll just gather together some of our staff to do it. After tomorrow, we'll have no need for them when the project is handed over to the council." Ryouta merely nodded, not daring to question which staff Tarou considered expendable enough for the task. Hopefully, it wasn't him since after tomorrow, his position would be in jeopardy as well. Luckily, he would be transferred. "Are you aware if Kiyoshi has returned from his break?"

The question interrupted the ebony-haired man's thoughts. "Kiyoshi? Uhh…not that I know of. He should return tomorrow. If not then the day after."

Tarou clicked his tongue. "Pity. I'll have to find someone else to move 001 then." He sipped his drink, perfectly calmly so. "You're free to leave Ryouta, no need for you at the moment. Might I suggest rehearsing a speech for the council? I'm positive they'll want to congratulate you personally for your assistance in purging Kusagakure of those Iwagakure rats."

Ryouta only nodded. He swallowed down the rest of his drink, supplying his boss a brief thank you before gladly leaving the observation room and his deranged employer behind. He prayed for whoever Tarou decided to lock in the same room as K-MF-001.

…

**AN:**_ This is my last pre-written chapter so after this, I'm going to have write them out now so they will take a tad longer to be posted but they'll still be posted, I promise. Thank you for reading and please, review, I'd love to hear what people think of this story so far even if it is weird and a bit slow for now. _


	5. Act 1: Chapter 4

**AN: **_I can't believe how much support this story has received. This was just a project for myself regardless if people liked it but now that I see people do, it inspires me not only to write for myself, but my viewers as well. So thank you again to everyone and enjoy._

…

**Wasteland**

**Act 1:**

**Chapter 4**

The morning following the meeting, the peaceful atmosphere of the sleepy complex was shattered by the wailing of the emergency sirens. They were currently under attack. The troops of the encampment were yanked from their slumbers and scrambled to assemble their defensives. A moment later, the Explosive Corps barged into their captain's quarters to retrieve him.

"Captain Katsu!" The highest ranking soldier of the platoon yelled as they entered but his screams fell on deaf ears as Domon had been roused by the alarms and was already suiting up as he shrugged on his vest.

"What's the situation? Is it Konohagakure? Do we have a visual? Injuries?" The blonde questioned without a breath as he secured his red forehead protector around his neck and replaced his glasses with a pair of perspiration googles.

"W-We're unsure, sir. The alarms were sounded but no fighting has been viewed or heard of." The second-in-command shuttered. "It might be a false alarm. Shirou might have fallen asleep on the button again." The man emitted an awkward laughter at the light joke but it was not responded to by his captain's own laughter and he quickly fell silent.

Domon's reply was merely a scowl. "Then let's find out, yes?" He groped for his satchel and draped it across his chest before escorting his squad from the guard tower.

Outside, the siren resumed its blaring, preventing any ability of hearing the supposed attack, whether it be shouting or the clashing of metal, but visually, all was calm and serene as the previous night's violent storm has relaxed into a casual rainfall. No explosions, people fleeing or dust flying. Just the same sight as with the guard tower, confusion, as around the camp, other teams had stepped outside, dressed and armed to the teeth though unable to predict where the battle currently was or there even was one. As Domon stepped outside, the remaining befuzzled teams migrated to join him and the Explosive Corps, awaiting their directions or explanation. One of these being Kakuzu, who had been awoken by the alarm the same as everyone else.

"The hell is happening?" The miser demanded, irritated his two hour rest after his all-nighter had been rudely interrupted.

"We haven't a clue." Domon replied simply, adding a shrug for extra measure to portray his own cluelessness on the situation. "Someone from the second guard tower sounded the siren which would mean we were under attack, yes? But nothing is to be seen. Usually, if it was Konohagakure, at least a few of their shinobi would have broken our defenses and would raiding the encampment."

"Maybe it's Kumogakure?" A random solider guessed aloud. Discussion erupted on the matter but was disturbed when a Genin was seen running toward them.

"Captain Katsu!" The boy gasped, skidding to a halt in the mud before the man and catching his breath. "Reporting."

"What's happening, Natsu? Do we have a visual?" Domon asked once the crier regained his lost breath.

"N-No we do not, sir. The a-alarm was sounded and Team 2 and 7 left to initiate the enemy but there was none! So they're securing Guard Tower 2 in case the enemy attacked them and I was told to report to you, sir!" The young shinobi rambled out to his superior. Domon scowled and clicked his tongue. By all the evidence, the whole fiasco had been indeed a false alarm. An absolutely waste of time and unneeded panic.

"Natsu, return to Guard Tower 2 and inform Shirou, or whoever signaled the alarm to report to me. Immediately."

"Yes sir!" Natsu saluted the man before turning and running back to rejoin his platoon assigned farther within the camp. Once the Genin was gone, Domon addressed the remaining flustered shinobi who were arguing aloud with each other if there was an enemy or not.

"Alright everyone, return to your posts. It was a false alarm, there is nothing t-" Suddenly, the very second those word's escaped the blonde's furry lips, the second guard tower on the opposite side of the camp erupted into a massive fireball.

Everyone were tossed to the ground from the deliberating shockwave which was amplified from the explosion, enough force being exerted that windows were shattered and bits of rumble were shaken free from the crumbling structures. Once the shockwave had passed them by and everyone had regained their footing, they had to quickly avoid the flaming debris which showered them including hefty chucks of rock like a meteor shower.

"Fuck me…" Domon seethed as he gazed towards the black smoke which billowed from the location the tower had once been, now just a smoldering shell of brick and glass. Such a thing had never happened before and something told him this invasion would be vastly different from the rest. The reek in the air which followed the explosion, confirmed his suspicions and his worse fears. Unlatching the binding on his satchel, he next yanked off one of gloves and dove his hand into the bag, scooping up the earthy contents within. Upon seeing this, Kakuzu suddenly remembered where he had heard the name of Katsu before.

Withdrawing his hand, he opened his moist palm to reveal five clay dog-like figures, the tongue extending from his hand finishing off a few minute designs. He tossed them to the ground and activated them with a single handsign, causing the creations to burst into a cloud of white smoke. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared to reveal the clay figures had expanded several times their original size and gained sentience as the featureless, pure white dogs shook their heads and stretched before gathering around their master for orders. All the present shinobi, minus Kakuzu, did so too.

"All right, obviously, I was wrong, and we are under attack, yes?" A few laughs were uttered at the captain's joking but were soon hushed as Domon resumed. "And obviously, these are not our normal Konohagakure foes. They've never launched such an assault such as this and I realize why that is. Everyone smells that, yes?" Instantly, the soldiers begin to intently sniff the smoggy air. Besides the smoke, it smelt of one other thing. Gas. Their reactions resulted closely the same. Horror. "Uchiha." Domon concluded, resisting the own anxiety which sprung up within him at the name. He had never encountered an Uchiha as an enemy, only heard the horror stories about the wielders of the master bloodline. That all changed today. He withdrew a cigarette and tucked it between his lips. After lighting it and taking a drag to soothe himself, he returned his attention to his spooked fleet.

"We're going to divide into four groups." He announced, his soft-spoken hardening to role of leader. "Team 1 and 10, you are taking the right, towards Guard Tower 2, see if you can find any survivors and back those Uchiha bastards off. Team 4, you are taking the left. Both you and Team 1 and 10 will be focused on pressing them back into a single space. Team 9 and 8, you will round the back, whilst the Explosive Corps and I charge them from the front. If we manage to box them in, then we can easily pick them off, yes?" A round of nodding answered his question. "Perfect, now go! And whatever you do, do not look into their eyes."

"Yes, sir!" And with that, the Iwagakure shinobi separated into their assigned teams and retreated to their appointed positions. Once they had departed, diverted his attention to Kakuzu who had been quietly viewing the entire speech. "This doesn't concern you. Its best you pack up and leave whilst you can. Need you alive to investigate that hospital, yes?"

Despite his loathing for being ordered about, Kakuzu begrudgingly agreed. "I'll agree to leave, if you agree not to go blow yourself up. I need you alive for my paycheck."

Domon laughed, taking the jab towards his kekkei genkai on the chin. "Yes, yes. Good luck."

Kakuzu only grunted, before retreating back inside the restaurant to retrieve his belongings and leave whilst the Iwagakure and Konohagakure torn each other apart. It was their war, not his. He was only here to collect a paycheck. Nothing more.

"Alright, Explosive Corps, march!"

"Yes, sir!"

With that, Domon led his platoon towards the smoldering wreckage on the farther side of the camp. The black smoke drifting from the crumbled tower obscured their vison of both friend or foe and Domon ordered the pack of Claymation hounds into the fog, the dogs barreling into the darkness to seek out the Konohagakure foe sneaking about under the safety of the smoke and drag them into the light. Meanwhile, the members of the Explosive Corps withdrew flashbangs and their own smoke bombs, waiting on their captain's orders to act. Domon glanced around and caught a glimpse of movement on either side of them, identifying the sandy brown colour of their vests as his men as they rounded the rotting buildings to flank from their respective side. Domon felt the anxiety return.

There had been no confrontation yet, not with his men nor his hounds and there wasn't a hint of foreign life. Either these enemies, Uchiha or not, were highly advanced in stealth, or there was nothing and the tower explosion had been a fatal error on one of his men. He wasn't sure which he feared more.

As the steady downfall extinguished the flames, the smoke thinned and Domon squinted his eyes to peer through. His blood ran ice cold. There was no army, not even a single squad. Just a figure. A sole large, muscled individual in the fog just standing there, unmoving, and undisturbed as Domon's artificial dogs shuffled around them. The creatures were blind, so instead they focused on detecting chakra signatures to guide them. But there were none, so the hounds wondered, aimlessly around the person. The person were perfectly cloaked. Then two blood red orbs pierced the grey and Domon realized how much he hated being right.

"Fire!"

The air swelled with the whistling of bombs of variety being thrown into the smoke and exploding into an array of white smoke and blinding light. The same moment, the teams which had been flanking the area of interest lep into the fray, flooding the sky with waves of kunai and shuriken which arced downward and riddled whoever the figure was with the sharp objects. Once their arterially was launched, the soldiers took their distance and Domon detonated his kekkai genkai.

"Katsu!" The dogs' clay flesh swelled and they ballooned twice their original size until they raptured into a combustion of white light and fire.

…

Kakuzu was dressing in his coat when the second explosion occurred. He swore aloud as the ensuring shockwaves rolled over the café, tossing him around and causing the brick structure to tremble threateningly, coming within inches of toppling over atop of the masked man but by luck, remained intact with only an entire wall tumbling inward, scattering the wood-rotten floor with dust and brick. Kakuzu brushed himself off and from the now expanded window, he saw a mushroom cloud bloom into the grey sky before being blown away by the wind.

"Bastard," He snarled, shoving the folder into his coat. "I told him not to blow himself up."

Without a moment more, he stomped outside, eager to leave the battlefield before he was involved when something peculiar caught his eye. A few meters away, the ground was swollen like an object of such had been smuggled under the crumbling paving. And it was moving. Kakuzu watched, intrigued as the area shifted and bobbed until finally, a shapeless, pale figure began to materialize from the ground, upwards until it stood the same approximate height as a human. Once freed, the blank features chiseled into muscles which extended into limbs and black locks which sprouted from a head and Kakuzu realized a man had just emerged from the ground. Then, he realized why the man had.

'_God damnit…that bastard was onto something.' _Was his only thought which came accompanied by a few unwanted war flashbacks.

The nearly formed man twisted his neck about, the bones emitting a soft cracking before he tossed his head about, ruffling his black locks into a messier appearance. Kakuzu stood, still, unsure of the events which would follow. Should he flee? Kill the man? Remain still and wait if he is noticed? He realized he couldn't do the first two however, because the man had already made the choice for him as he craned his head around, his crimson eyes making contact with Kakuzu's miscoloured ones, their wide, crazed stare highlighted by the black ink around his eyes. They were the eyes of man that had long ago vacated the depths of his sanity. His unnaturally hunched form straightened and cracked lips curled back into a lop-sided grin, uncovering his rows of sizable canines. Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, and flexed his shoulder blades, the porcelain animal masks stitched to his back shifting as threads crept from beneath them and carefully detached them from the skin. Seems this war had found its way to him.

Abruptly, the man's head snapped forward, eyes focusing on the remaining smoke which polluted the air and muffled voices ahead. Kakuzu awaited his attention to return to him, muscles bulging with extra threading as he prepared for a fight, but it did not as the man cracked his neck again and the bare flesh of his back began to bubble like a pot of hot water. The skin tore cleanly and a thick, red bulb peeked from between his shoulder blades, inching out until splitting open into five wide petals which rolled out like wagging tongues that extended half the length of the man's own body. Suddenly, Kakuzu was stricken with a foul stench which made his stomach heave and mouth water in anticipation of tossing last night's booze and he clenched his hand over his nose, clamping the dark fabric of his bandana safely over his nose from farther assault. It reminded him of a rotted corpse which had been left in direct sunlight for months and been used as a dumping site for local wilderness.

Regardless of his watering eyes, Kakuzu retained his attention on the trespasser, however, the other man had appeared to have lost all interest in Kakuzu as his concentration remained on the smoke and dust in the distance. With one last regarding glance, the man-plant hybrid began stalking away towards the commotion, each step taken sinking farther and farther into the ground until his body melted back into the sodden dust and he disappeared from sight and existence. Kakuzu swore at himself again. He had just allowed his paycheck to vanish, and worse enough, it was heading directly for his benefactor of said paycheck.

…

After several seconds, the dust finally settled from the detonation. The Iwagakure shinobi removed their goggles and brushed their hair free of debris, gazing in silent amazement at the hefty crater which remained from their captain's kekkai genkai. Domon, however, sniffed at the lack of gore or severed limbs in the pit. Not even a speck of blood. The person has escaped his jutsu. How? He haven't a clue but he did not place anything past the Uchiha. His only relief, it appeared there was only one attacker, but the relief with minimal. If they were not wary, one man would be all it took to eliminate them all.

He gestured towards the bedazzled soldiers. "Search for survivors." The men hastily reclaimed themselves and obeyed as they spread out to check the remnants of the second guard tower and surrounding buildings also, mindful of their unwelcomed guest which walked amongst them. Afterwards, Domon addressed his own fleet. "Guard the perimeter. I want every inch of it booby-trapped. Anyone in here with us, won't be leaving alive."

The members of the Explosive Corps nodded before each of them separated into ten different directions to trap their settlement swiftly. Meanwhile, Domon found himself rather calm, despite their situation and credited his optimist attitude, or perhaps the ashy cigarette in his mouth. His wife and her father, which just so happened to be the current Tsuchikage, sassed him frequently for his smoking habit, especially with a child soon to arrive, and told him to stop smoking. Even was ordered to. But these were times of war, and the cigarettes in his pocket were his only comfort until he was safety home again. Today, he would smoke like a furnace, he concluded, as he flicked the spent cancer stick to the dirt before replacing it with another and lighting it, filling his dusty lungs with the placebo for euphoria and shifting his headband aside to release the spent fumes.

"Captain Katsu! We found a survivor!" One of the Jounin screamed as his two teammates proceeded to heave a battered body from the wreckage of the tower.

They dumped the person safely feet away before stumbling away, coughing and gagging. As Domon approached, he realized why they had suddenly been so overcome with asthma-este attacks as the reek of death and roasted flesh flooded his nostrils. He clamped his hand over his nose and took another drag to filter out the stench simmering in his throat. The obvious lone survivor had been singed initial explosion of the tower as his clothing and armor hung from his body in shreds though displayed no farther injuries as the blood staining his flesh was unoccupied by gaping wounds or cuts of equitable size. However, that didn't mean he was alive, as when the captain hovered over the convulsing man. He could see the whites of his eyes which were stained a distasteful yellow and mixture of saliva and vomit leaked from his nose and mouth. The obvious signs of severe poisoning. The medics arrived to care for the suffering man but Domon halted their assistance. The man was past the realm of help. All they could do now was gather as much information from him before he perished.

"Shirou," Domon spoke firmly, recognizing the former guard tower. "Shirou, you can speak, yes? What happened?"

Upon the mention of his name, Shirou's eyes rolled from within his head as his glazed orbs stared at the blonde. His tongue poked out between his lips, swiping the pink flesh over his caked lips but they parted to speak. "…A-Ambushed…dead all…" He whispered, weakly, and Domon hunched closer.

"Ambushed by who, Shirou? Who did this? Was it Uchiha?"

"O-O-One…" He gasped, coughing a mouthful of clear bile and chucks of the prior night's digested meal, his convulsing growing more terrible. "On-One…"

"One what, Shirou? One person? Did one person do this?" Domon pressed harder as he witnessed the life beginning to slow dim in the Chunnin's eyes.

"O-O-One…" Shirou merely repeated, inhaling deeply as though to yawn, and the liquid drowning his lungs could be heard. His eyes rolled back again as he exhaled shakily, and Domon began to stand upright again, presuming the man dead when Shirou suddenly jolted up and grasped his vest halting his ascent, yellowed grey orbs wide and quivering as they stared into the reflective surface of his leader's goggles. "D-D-Don't…breath the m-mist…d-don't…burn!"

And with that, the man shuttered violently, vomit spraying from his dry lips before he collapsed against the muddy roading, eyes dulling and jaw going slack, finally accepted by death's cold embrace. Domon sighed, brushing off the digestive matter from his clothing before standing. The medics clad the guard's body with a clean, white sheet before it was carried away to be later buried alongside their fallen brethren. His funeral would be delayed however, until his murderer was brought to justice.

Shortly after, the rest of Shirou's squad were recovered, all dead as he said. The heavy charring to their bodies and yellowed orbs made it difficult to predict how they had perished, whether it had been by the poisoning or being burned alive. Or both. They were laid alongside their teammate. The bodies were beginning pile, and they had yet to find the culprit. Worst case scenario, they had escaped which spelt disaster for them, especially if they had uncovered a chink in their armor. Best case scenario, they were still within the camp, though that was a hardly as until they were captured or killed, the remaining lot of them were in danger.

"Captain!"

Domon glanced in the direction of the call and blinked in surprise as their Akatsuki contact approached from behind, for an unknown reason to the blonde the hulking brunette having chosen to stay rather than leave as instructed.

"Akatsuki." Domon responded, lacking a name which to address the man by. "I thought you left, yes?"

"No." Kakuzu grunted. "I couldn't because this is the direction my paycheck went."

"Paycheck?"

A scream distracted Domon from his interrogation however, as he caught wind of one of his teammates fearfully shouting 'intruder!' before the camp was rocked again by another explosion. This time originating from the border of the encampment. One of the booby traps only set together seconds prior already having been set off. Several startled screams rung out and soldiers fled as in the midst of the raining dirt and knife-sized splinters, hefty portions of trees were catapulted towards them, crashing into the ground with enough force to crush a person into a bloodstain of blood and bone.

The section of tree line which had been blown apart by the explosion had been ignited and flames danced across the tree tops, rapidly spreading as it devoured leaves and branches. The downfall was too weak to smother the fire and due to the encampment being embraced by the overgrown thicket, the blaze threatened to lep onto rooftops and kindle the buildings into a massive unstoppable bonfire.

"Get water! Put out the flames!" Domon yelled. People scattered about to retrieve water to drown the swelling fire. Domon broke into a run towards the bomb site to discover if the teammate or teammates at the area had survived the incident when a hand clamped onto his shoulder and wrenched him backwards. He craned his neck around to see his contact had been the culprit. "The hell? Release me. This does not include you!"

Kakuzu did not reply, his eyes not even upon the blonde as he stared forward, blankly. Domon struggled against the man's ironclad grasp and when it proved fruitless, he glanced about to one of his men to assist him when he noticed something bizarre. Time apparently had frozen around him as his men stood around, perfectly still as statues and silent. The panic and urgency which gripped them a second ago having vanished as they all remained motionless, their eyes focused united towards the glow of the fire, the same as Kakuzu. Domon finally stared before him, curious what had caused everyone to pause in such a way, and instantly, he felt his blood freeze in his veins. He bit down onto his cigarette, warm ashes coating his tongue.

"Is that…the Mayfly?" Domon asked, voice barely scrapping past a whisper as he gazed upon the half-clad, pale man before them, lumbering figure illuminated in the grey by the blaze behind him. But Domon wasn't looking entirely at him. He was looking at the enormous flower which piggybacked him, its petals reflecting the reds and oranges of the flames and extending around him like groping tentacles.

"Yes." Kakuzu replied.

The Mayfly man smiled, his bleeding orbs and inhuman canines shining ominously with the flicker of the firestorm around him. The ink circling his eyes and crossing through his left reading '001'.

Domon realized he no longer hated when he was right. He loathed it.

…

**AN: **_I just want to apologize. This chapter took longer than I would have liked. That was for two reasons. One, it is the largest chapter to date. And two, I had issues with my computer. So instead of writing, I was struggling to get it fixed and when it was fixed, I had to do homework. So sorry again. Hopefully this chapter made it worth the wait for you all. _

_The next chapter will be filler explaining the Mayfly. _

_Thank you for reading and reviews perhaps? Love to hear your thoughts, so long they are not flaming. _


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